Sharlet: Last week The Simpsons‘ Springfield went gay, but before that, The Simpsons was a Christian show. Well, sort of. Christianity Today dubbed Homer’s okily-dokily neighbor, Ned Flanders, St. Ned, for his scrubbed-clean Christianity, John Ashcroft is said to be a fan of The Gospel According to the Simpsons, and pastors across the English-speaking world use the show as a source of pop culture parables. But when Heather McElhatton, a radio reporter for Weekend America, sat down with Patty Tattersall, a “self-described, hardcore, born again Christian” to watch the show, Patty was horrified. Listen here. (Scroll down to bottom of the page for the Simpsons segment. Disclosure: I’m a paid consultant for Weekend America.) And here’s The Simpsons Archive‘s guide to religion in Homer’s world.